Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-03

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

It is ten years since you left college. You'd like to organise an event to celebrate this anniversary with all your friends and classmates from college.

Write a letter to one of your college friends. In your letter

• say what kind of celebration event you'd like to organise

• explain why you think it would be good to celebrate in this way

• describe what help you need to organise this event

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ....................................,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Hazel

Greetings to you my dear friend,its been a long time since i heard from you.I am planning for a reunion part for our Harmony class.Its now more than 10 year now since we left school and i think it will be a good idea for us to meet again and catch up, also talk about our jobs and what we are doing in life.

It will be also nice if we could invite our former class teacher.Could you please assist me with inviting our classmate and i will contact Mrs Kunaka our class teacher and also with the program and chose the date that is suitable for everyone to attend, there is also a issue of a venue, we need to consider a venue that is good for kids because some of us will be bringing our kids as well.I am hopping to hear from you as soon as you get this letter

Yours Faithfull

Rukudzo Murimwa

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The letter addresses all three points: you propose a reunion, explain that classmates can catch up and discuss their lives, and ask Hazel to help contact classmates and plan the event. The suggestion to invite your former teacher and consider a child-friendly venue adds relevant detail. The purpose and friendly relationship are clear. However, the celebration itself is not described very specifically: for example, you could say whether you imagine a dinner, picnic, or evening party, and mention a possible activity. The reasons for choosing this format are also only briefly explained. Developing those details would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The ideas are relevant and generally follow a sensible order, moving from the reunion idea to its purpose and then to practical arrangements. The greeting and sign-off also make the response recognisable as a letter. However, most of the content is placed in one long paragraph, so the different points are not clearly separated. The sentence beginning “Could you please assist me” combines several requests, making the organisation harder to follow. Use separate paragraphs for the event and its benefits, then for the help needed, and divide long sentences into clearer units. This would improve progression and make the relationships between ideas easier to track.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough relevant vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “reunion,” “class teacher,” “venue,” and “program.” These choices suit the topic, and the reader can understand the arrangements you have in mind. However, some word choices and spelling errors reduce accuracy, such as “reunion part” and “hopping,” while “good idea” and “nice” are quite general. Aim for more precise expressions for the event and its benefits, and check spelling carefully. For instance, describing a “class reunion dinner” or a “family-friendly venue” would make the plans clearer and more natural without changing your friendly tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The letter includes both simple statements and attempts at more complex structures, such as explaining that meeting again would let classmates catch up and discuss their lives. The main message remains understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation errors are present, however. Examples include “its been a long time” instead of “it’s been a long time,” “more than 10 year” instead of “more than 10 years,” and “there is also a issue” instead of “there is also an issue.” The long request sentence also joins several clauses without clear punctuation. Use apostrophes and articles accurately, check singular and plural forms, and break long sentences into shorter ones.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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